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The covert theology in Gone with the Wind

2/18/2022

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Gone with the Wind is probably my favorite movie of all time. Since reading the book twice or thrice as a teen, I’ve seen the film at least 30 times. Every time it’s on TV, I tune in with the intention of watching for just a few minutes; and every time, I end up glued to the set until Scarlett utters her final “Tomorrow is another day.”
 
In spite of having practically memorized the dialogue, it wasn’t until I was born again that I understood the significance of Melanie Wilkes being Christian. Yet there it was: Melanie was always kind, compassionate, faithful, loving – the epitome of Christian virtue. How wonderful to have her goodness on such prominent display in this fallen world, with non-believers always on high alert for hypocrisy in the church.
 
But I've now realized that another GWTW character may have telegraphed, in just a few words, something even more important than goodness.
 
Surprisingly, that character was Rhett Butler – surely no Christian, given his flagrant disregard of the commands of Christ. 
                  
Rhett’s critical theological insight was tucked into the movie’s last scene.  You may remember it: Having proclaimed her long-standing but just-discovered love for him, Scarlett O’Hara was tearfully expressing her regret over the course of their lives together. He responded, “My darling, you’re such a child. You think by saying ‘I’m sorry,’ all the past can be corrected.” (See the clip here.)
 
Consider this comment in light of the gospel.
 
According to the word of God, Christ suffered and died on the cross to pay the penalty for the world’s sin. To avail ourselves personally of His payment and be ensured of a heavenly forever after, we need to do two things:

  • Repent – i.e., to acknowledge that sin is what God says it is, not what we like to think it is; to sorrowfully seek His forgiveness for our personal sin; and to turn from it deliberately, if not perfectly. (See, for example, Luke 13:3 and Acts 3:19.)
  • Trust in Christ to have paid for our sin in full on the cross. We cannot pay for even one sin ourselves, so we must give up trying to earn heaven and rely entirely on His finished work. (See, e.g., Ephesians 2:8-9 and 2 Corinthians 5:21.)
 
Scarlett did indeed say she was sorry – very, very sorry, in fact. But did she repent of her behavior? Or did she simply make excuses for it?
 
Now, obviously Rhett was not meant to be even a poor imitation of God. Even if Scarlett had truly repented and sought his forgiveness, he was clearly, and literally, on his way out the door. His patience and love for her had evaporated.
 
Fortunately for us, God’s patience never runs out, and His love never dies. If, before we breathe our last, we truly repent and trust in Christ to have paid our sin debt in full, we will be clothed in His righteousness and welcomed into heaven for all eternity.
 
But if Scarlett’s approach is all we can offer Him on judgment day – if the best we can do is say we’re sorry and make excuses for our sin – we will be paying its penalty for all eternity.  And that will be true even if we cloak our regrets and excuses in good works and sacraments. These are not the things that save us; only the blood of Christ can do that, and we can take advantage of that only by repenting and trusting in Him.
 
Have you done so yet? If not, don’t wait; tomorrow will indeed be “another day,” but are you certain you’ll live to see it?
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A word game of eternal significance

2/5/2022

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If you were paying attention in the late ‘90s, you heard a Very Important Person say, over and over again, “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” 

This assertion was a cause for ridicule back then, but today it actually sounds like a profound insight. In 21st century America, we can no longer count on the conventional meaning of even the most basic words. 

For instance, these days ”affordable” apparently means “unaffordable," if “the Affordable Care Act” is any indication. “Freedom of choice” has become “freedom to murder.” "Awful” no longer means “inspiring reverential wonder,” but something more along the lines of “hideously unpleasant.” “Egregious” once meant good; now it means bad. Coming from the Latin for “ignorant,” “nice” now means “pleasant” or “agreeable.” And “till death do us part” now means “till something better comes along.”

Funny how that happens, isn’t it?

These days, we often see this phenomenon playing out in the realm of theology (which still means “the study of the nature of God,” thank goodness). Sometimes it’s simply a matter of twisting the contextual meaning of a single word. For example: 

  • The common Hebrew word for a 24-hour day, “yom,” now means “vast ages.” For far too many people, this little alteration transforms the Bible from the inspired and inerrant word of God into a book of myths. 
  • “Hope” means, to the world, something along the lines of “wishful thinking.” But biblically speaking, it means “trust” or “confident expectation.” So what does it mean when I say that I am looking for our “blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)? That I sure do wish He would come back but I'm not holding my breath?
  • “Fear” used to mean “revere.” Now it means “to be afraid of something unpleasant or dangerous.” So much for the “fear of the Lord” being “the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10).
  • “Jealous” used to mean “fiercely protective.” Today it means envying, coveting, harboring suspicions about someone else. How does that make you feel about a “jealous God” (Exodus 20:5)? It was enough to make that great Bible scholar Oprah Winfrey turn her back on Him in favor of New Age thought; how many others have joined her because of this single slice of ignorance?
  • “Love,” in its highest form (Greek “agape”), once meant self-sacrificing, unconditional, unceasing and profound affection.  Today it is mostly reduced to what the Greeks call “eros,” meaning “a deep romantic or sexual attachment to (someone),” or what the Bible calls “lust” – not a good thing. Or it’s used to describe our most superficial feelings for something that gives us pleasure – we “love” ice cream or dogs or a good game of Scrabble. These definitions could certainly impact one’s understanding of “God is love” (1 John 4), couldn't they?
  • “All” used to mean “the whole quantity or extent of a particular group or thing.” Now, to growing numbers of Christians, it means “some of each.” Consider how that changes the meaning of a pronouncement like Jesus’ “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32).  

Here’s the thing. There’s only one way to heaven, and that's through the payment Jesus rendered on the cross for our sin. To avail ourselves of that payment, we need simply to repent of what He calls sin and trust in His payment. That has all kinds of implications for our lives and how we will think, speak, behave and live, of course; but the point here is that we cannot even “repent and trust” if we harbor such grave misunderstandings of language.

In fact, how can we possibly trust a transcendent being whose very words are not trustworthy?  

Yes indeedy, these days it really does depend on what the meaning of the word “is” is. And anyone who wants to spend eternity in heaven with the Lord had best spend some time determining what His word actually says.
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    Kitty
    Foth-Regner

    I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, a freelance copywriter, a nursing-home volunteer, and the author of books both in-process and published -- including Heaven Without Her. 

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